Page 54 of Extraction Play
One moment she was leaving Whipped, the next she was standing in front of her car, barely aware of the steps in between. Eva stood behind her, hand resting on the strap of her laptop bag. Concern lit her eyes. Concern for her. Pixie tried to ignore the tremble of her hands, the burn in her throat.
“It’ll be okay,” she said. Who was she reassuring? Eva or herself?
She unlocked her Mini Cooper and got in the driver’s seat. Eva slipped in on the other side, and the thump of her door shutting jarred Pixie into action. She turned on the ignition and pulled out onto the street.
“If you need me to drive at any point…” Eva said.
“It’s not my first rodeo,” Pixie said, her voice thick as she gripped the wheel tight. However, she’d never had company before.
That fact took root in her brain. For the first time, she wasn’t dealing with one of her mother’s episodes by herself. A hot tear slipped down her cheek, one she didn’t dare call attention to by wiping it away, even though Eva must have seen it.
All that mattered was that she wasn’t alone.
And Eva was the reason why.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eva couldn’t stop fidgeting in her seat. She never was comfortable sitting in the passenger seat, but the urge to take over for Pixie, to wrap her up and hold her tight until she could let go of all her pain, grew so strong her teeth ached with it. Some weird-ass funk music played on the radio, and the song buzzed under Eva’s skin.
“Mind if I change the music?”
“Mm, go for it,” Pixie said, her eyes on the highway. They drove outside the city, but Eva was done with work and had no plans for the evening, so even if this would take the whole night, she’d be fine. She wouldn’t leave Pixie by her lonesome. Before the call had interrupted them, they both seemed to be headed in the samedirection.
Truly, knowing Pixie’s plans to leave weren’t set in stone was what she’d needed.
Eva flipped through the radio station, settling on an indie/alt channel that was soothing and wouldn’t amplify her nerves. They’d been driving for a bit, the silence percolating between them. Eva didn’t want to push Pixie to talk, not when the woman clearly held on to her composure with all her might.
“This isn’t the first time she’s told me someone changed the locks on her,” Pixie said.
Eva remained quiet. She’d been wondering what had led to this.
“It happened a few years ago, and I’d been out at a concert,” Pixie said, carding her fingers through her hair. “But when my mother got like this—yeah, I left and went to find her. She was curled up on her stoop, rocking back and forth. It’s one hell of a mental disorder.”
“That must be so hard on you too,” Eva said gently. “Knowing that at any moment you could get a call like this, that your life might be upheaved all over again.”
Pixie didn’t respond, but the sheen of tears was illuminated by the highway lights.
Eva placed her hand on Pixie’s thigh, which trembled from the tremors rocking through her. It gutted her how much Pixie had to shoulder—how she’d carried this alone for so long. The loneliness, that was something they shared, just in different ways. Pixie naturally attracted people to her. She was pure light and sweetness, likable and charming.
Eva, on the other hand, had always known she was hard to love.
Her mother had made it clear early on, and over the years, friends, boyfriends, and then her girlfriend had compounded the truth. Her need for control scared them away. She’d closed off rather than sharingevery aspect of herself. However, no matter how hard she tried, she’d never been able to twist into being good enough for anyone.
Pixie was the first who seemed to have no reserves, no complaints lying in wait.
Even Jack had gotten tired of her when she wanted to take a more dominant role. She’d believed Sienna could maybe love her as is, except she’d chosen Jack in the end.
“We’re almost here,” Pixie said, her steady voice breaking through. “Get ready to calm some feathers.”
Eva’s lips quirked. She loved the way Pixie unintentionally mixed up idioms. She didn’t feel the need to correct her though. Instead, she squeezed Pixie’s thigh one more time and let go. “Hey, I’m with you. That’s not going to change.”
Pixie let out a shaky sigh. “I know. And you have no idea how different it feels coming here with someone rather than by myself.”
“Ew, letting people in,” Eva responded, eliciting a hesitant grin from Pixie. “Though maybe it bears a little credence.” That was a fact Eva was still discovering. Had it not been for Jack reneging on his offer to sell the house, she might not have even told her brother what had gone down with her exes. However, he and Pixie had both stepped up with everything she’d told them, and fuck, it had her rethinking her whole approach.
“You’re not wrong.” Pixie stopped in front of a pale yellow house along a suburban street. “Where is she?”
Eva scanned the area. Her gaze snagged on the two cars in the driveway. “Let’s check inside the house.” She had an inkling, but she didn’t want to share that yet. They got out of the car and shut the doors, the thuds loud in the quiet neighborhood. They walked to the front door, their footsteps muffled by the grass. The lights coming from inside confirmed her guess.